Post by mhbruin on Mar 29, 2024 9:56:54 GMT -8
CHANGES
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Next are the Michigan State Spartans, who finished in a 3-way tie for 6th place in the B1G, which was disappointing after being picked #4 in the preseason AP poll. They won in the first round of the NCAA tournament, before being eliminated by North Carolina. They are coached by some guy named Tom Izzo. He has been in East Lansing since 1995, which was a very good year in college basketball.
Quotes about players are from Analyzing next season's Michigan State basketball roster as it might unfold – player by player
GRADUATING
These are the Spartans top two scorers. Tyson walker also led the team in steals.
Malik Hall led the team in rebounds.
IN THE DRAFT OR TURNING PRO
Hoggard was the #3 scorer and team leader in assists. He is also in the transfer portal.
TRANSFERRING OUT
Sissoko wasn't a big scorer, but he was the second leading rebounder on the team.
Overall, Michigan State loses their top three scorers, their top two rebounders, and two of their top three assist leaders. That's a lot of production.
They also lose four starters.
RETURNING
Tom Izzo may be a hall of fame coach, but he is not doing it without talent. Almost every returning player is at least a 4-star, Top 100 recruit. He'll need the talent, because he only returns one starter.
However, Izzo played a lot of guys last season, so he returns a lot of experience.
The one returning starter is Jaden Akins. He was kind of "the other starter" on a team where Walker, Hall, and Hoggard were all bigger stars. He may need to provide leadershiop, but there is enough talent where he still might not be the biggest star on the team.
"Akins’ didn’t take the leap from his sophomore to junior year that he hoped. He finished at 36.4% on 3-point tries, down from 42.2% a year earlier, though was relied on more for volume — up from 3.9 long-range attempts per game to 5.0. He was, though, more efficient inside the arc this season, shooting nearly 46%, up from about 42%. His rebounds, assists, steals and blocks were all almost identical year over year."
Tre Holloman was the Spartans most efficient 3-point shooter and is a lock-down defender.
The Spartans have high hopes for Xavier Booker for next season. He's a very athletic 6-11 sophomore who can shoot the three. He is considered the best NBA prospect on the roster.
Jeremy Fears Jr. will be the starting point guard. Last season was cut short Fears was shot in the leg back home in Illinois just before Christmas
"Coen Carr was a ton of fun to watch at times as a freshman — because he’s an elite athlete and top-tier dunker. But he was fairly limited as a player."
Carson Cooper led the team in blocks but with only 0.9 per game. He is the only true center on the roster for next season.
Redshirt Gehrig Normand is said to be a good athete and shooter. When you are Tom Izzo, you can get away with sitting a 4-star freshman for a season.
RECRUITS
(#16 class, #4 in B1G)
Izzo's recruiting class is also mostly highly-ranked recruits.
Jase Richardson is the son for former Spartan Jason Richardson who also played for Tom Izzo in East Lansing. He is expected to be the backup point guard.
Jesse McCulloch is expected to be a stretch four.
TRANSFERRING IN
(#78 class, #15 in B1G)
CONCLUSION
What's not to like about Michigan State.? Lots of talent. A 5-star and eight 4-stars. They will be one of the 2-3 most talented teams in the B1G. Lots of returning rotation players. A Hall-of-Fame Coach.
The one challenge for coach Izzo is replacing four starters. I suspect he is up to the task. It's not like MSU will be working in a bunch of brand new players. Seven players played at least 9 minutes per game last season.
The Spartans should challenge for the Big Ten title and easily make the NCAA tournament.
Torvick projects Michigan State as the #16 team in the county and as #3 in the B1G. He projects a 21-10 record with 12-8 in conference.
====================
Next are the Michigan State Spartans, who finished in a 3-way tie for 6th place in the B1G, which was disappointing after being picked #4 in the preseason AP poll. They won in the first round of the NCAA tournament, before being eliminated by North Carolina. They are coached by some guy named Tom Izzo. He has been in East Lansing since 1995, which was a very good year in college basketball.
Quotes about players are from Analyzing next season's Michigan State basketball roster as it might unfold – player by player
GRADUATING
| Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Notes |
| Tyson Walker | 34 | 34 | 33 | 18 | 2.9 | 2.8 | |
| Malik Hall | 35 | 34 | 29 | 13 | 5.7 | 1.9 | |
| . | |||||||
| . |
These are the Spartans top two scorers. Tyson walker also led the team in steals.
Malik Hall led the team in rebounds.
IN THE DRAFT OR TURNING PRO
| Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Can Return? |
| A.J. Hoggard | 35 | 34 | 29 | 11 | 3.9 | 5.2 | Yes, but not expected to |
Hoggard was the #3 scorer and team leader in assists. He is also in the transfer portal.
TRANSFERRING OUT
| Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Notes | Destination |
| Mady Sissoko | 35 | 26 | 15 | 3 | 5.1 | 0.3 | California | |
Sissoko wasn't a big scorer, but he was the second leading rebounder on the team.
Overall, Michigan State loses their top three scorers, their top two rebounders, and two of their top three assist leaders. That's a lot of production.
They also lose four starters.
RETURNING
Tom Izzo may be a hall of fame coach, but he is not doing it without talent. Almost every returning player is at least a 4-star, Top 100 recruit. He'll need the talent, because he only returns one starter.
However, Izzo played a lot of guys last season, so he returns a lot of experience.
| Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG% | 3Pt% | A/TO | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
| Jaden Akins G | 35 | 35 | 29 | 10 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 41% | 36% | 1.2 | Sr | 4 | 66 |
| Tre Holloman G | 35 | 2 | 20 | 6 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 48% | 43% | 2.8 | Jr | 4 | 87 |
| Xavier Booker F | 27 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 44% | 33% | 0.9 | So | 5 | 11 |
| Jeremy Fears Jr. G | 12 | 0 | 15 | 4 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 50% | 17% | 3.1 | So | 4 | 32 |
| Carson Cooper C | 35 | 8 | 17 | 3 | 4.4 | 0.5 | 52% | 0.6 | Jr | Unranked | ||
| Coen Carr F | 35 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 65% | 0.5 | So | 4 | 46 | |
| Jaxon Kohler F | 21 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 43% | 0.4 | Jr | 4 | 61 | |
| Gehrig Normand | Red shirt | Rs Fr | 4 | 124 |
The one returning starter is Jaden Akins. He was kind of "the other starter" on a team where Walker, Hall, and Hoggard were all bigger stars. He may need to provide leadershiop, but there is enough talent where he still might not be the biggest star on the team.
"Akins’ didn’t take the leap from his sophomore to junior year that he hoped. He finished at 36.4% on 3-point tries, down from 42.2% a year earlier, though was relied on more for volume — up from 3.9 long-range attempts per game to 5.0. He was, though, more efficient inside the arc this season, shooting nearly 46%, up from about 42%. His rebounds, assists, steals and blocks were all almost identical year over year."
Tre Holloman was the Spartans most efficient 3-point shooter and is a lock-down defender.
The Spartans have high hopes for Xavier Booker for next season. He's a very athletic 6-11 sophomore who can shoot the three. He is considered the best NBA prospect on the roster.
Jeremy Fears Jr. will be the starting point guard. Last season was cut short Fears was shot in the leg back home in Illinois just before Christmas
"Coen Carr was a ton of fun to watch at times as a freshman — because he’s an elite athlete and top-tier dunker. But he was fairly limited as a player."
Carson Cooper led the team in blocks but with only 0.9 per game. He is the only true center on the roster for next season.
Redshirt Gehrig Normand is said to be a good athete and shooter. When you are Tom Izzo, you can get away with sitting a 4-star freshman for a season.
RECRUITS
(#16 class, #4 in B1G)
Izzo's recruiting class is also mostly highly-ranked recruits.
| Player | Size | Position | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank | Offers |
| Jase Richardson | 6-3 180 | CG | 4 | 23 | Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas |
| Kur Teng | 6-4 185 | SG | 4 | 49 | Rutgers, Auburn, Providence |
| Jesse McCulloch | 6-9 190 | PF | 3 | 135 | Alabama, Indiana, Iowa |
| . | |||||
| . | |||||
| . |
Jase Richardson is the son for former Spartan Jason Richardson who also played for Tom Izzo in East Lansing. He is expected to be the backup point guard.
Jesse McCulloch is expected to be a stretch four.
TRANSFERRING IN
(#78 class, #15 in B1G)
| Player | Size | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG % | 3-Pt % | A/TO | From | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank | Transfer Rank |
| Frankie Fidler | 6-7 200 | 33 | 33 | 36 | 20 | 6.3 | 2.6 | 45% | 36% | 1.6 | Omaha | Sr | Unranked | 87 | |
| . | |||||||||||||||
| . |
CONCLUSION
What's not to like about Michigan State.? Lots of talent. A 5-star and eight 4-stars. They will be one of the 2-3 most talented teams in the B1G. Lots of returning rotation players. A Hall-of-Fame Coach.
The one challenge for coach Izzo is replacing four starters. I suspect he is up to the task. It's not like MSU will be working in a bunch of brand new players. Seven players played at least 9 minutes per game last season.
The Spartans should challenge for the Big Ten title and easily make the NCAA tournament.
Torvick projects Michigan State as the #16 team in the county and as #3 in the B1G. He projects a 21-10 record with 12-8 in conference.